Please don't turn us into CPS!!

Nick was in Arkansas this past weekend doing some fishing with our friend CBell, so Cole and I got to hang out just the two of us. We really had so much fun as he's at the stage where he wants to just get down on the ground and roll around and wrestle. Saturday mid morning we went to the park and I walked around the park for almost an hour while he took a little nap, then when he woke up he played on the swings, slides, etc.
Speaking of the park, I swear I saw the most random, funny things this weekend, two of them happened at the park while we were there. First, I was walking around the park and a gentleman (who looked like a pretty serious runner) ran past me and he was not wearing any shoes. Thought that was interesting. Then, there was another mom there with her 3 boys and the youngest (probably 2) was running and then fell face first in a mud puddle. So, this poor mom is trying to get her kids in the car and in the middle of doing that and loading toys, the little boy who is covered in mud decides to strip naked right there in the middle of the park! Yep, totally stark naked! ha!! Then, yesterday when I was driving down a pretty major street, I saw an older gentleman doing pushups on the side of the road...hmmmmm

Anyway, here are a couple pictures of Cole on Saturday while eating breakfast
"Mom...you are soooo funny!"

"Look, I can stick mine out too!"

Just this weekend, Cole started saying "No No". It was pretty funny because I was telling Cole "no no, get off the fireplace" then he repeated me. It's funny now, but probably won't be in a few weeks when he's saying it all the time. Also, Cole just started giving kisses, open-mouth kisses, but they still are so sweet!!

Saturday evening Blake and Emily had their crawfish boil so Cole and I went over there for awhile. It was great seeing everyone and catching up with friends I hadn't seen in forever. Cole had a lot of fun and was so obsessed with opening and closing doors.

Thanks Granddad for helping me reach the doorknob!

The rest of the evening, Cole was entertained by the dog cage. This is why I'm hoping someone doesn't call CPS on us...haha! He thought it was so funny, mostly because he could open and close the door. He would climb in and out, about a thousand times. :)

Even though Cole and I enjoyed our mommy-son time, we sure missed dad and were glad to have him home!
Some other exciting news....I'm about 92.5% sure that I will be able to teach only part-time next year. They were having to make some changes to our business department at my school and I asked about possibly only working half the day and they seemed to really like that idea, so hopefully I will find out for sure in a week or so. I'm so excited about that, but now I'm really starting to stress about childcare. Our current sitter is THE BEST and can't imagine using someone else. They are a retired couple who do it in their home and are so good and Cole absolutely loves it there....he even fusses when I have to bring him home because he loves his friends there. They are pretty much like another set of grandparents to Cole. However, they have a loooong waiting list and they obviously want full-time kids vs. part-time. I'm trying to think of other options....Mother's Day Out programs, other in-home sitters, but I just get so sad thinking that he won't be with Any and Theresa because we are all so comfortable there. Ugh...as excited as I am to only work part time, I get sad for Cole that he won't be with them. Maybe he can go once a week to catch up, who knows. Andy and Theresa just fell in our laps perfectly when I went back to work and we couldn't ask for any better, so not knowing what's going to happen next Fall is driving me crazy!!!
Well....off to do my P90X.....I'm totally LOVING this workout program! :)

Backyard

Before we had Cole, I think it would be safe to say that our backyard officially belonged to the dogs. We....I mean Nick (hehe) wasn't to good about picking up dog poo because we weren't playing in the yard enough for it to bother us. Now that Cole is at that age where he wants to be outside ALL the time, I've been on Nick about getting our grass/lawn in better shape so I don't have to worry about him trying to eat dog poo when we are out there.
Our yard has gotten much better and I even scooped up a bunch of poo this afternoon while Cole played outside.


Cole was so funny because he played this game of....open the back door, run out to the lawn, squeal, point, stagger around like a drunk man, then run back to the door, walk inside and close the door. I think we must have done that about 20 times. It's funny what excites toddlers!

Pee-a-boo!!!

Here is a video showing you how he would go back and forth from the house to the yard, and do that over and over...and over :)
Oh, and the random music and talking in the background is our neighbor's house getting built :) I love having those workers be able to see everything I'm doing in my backyard while they are bricking that house......sigh :)



Tonight after I put Cole to bed, I looked on the video monitor and wondered how on earth he was comfortable. So, I went in there and obviously took some pictures :)
He had his monkey underneath him and his head mashed into the corner. Cole honey, you don't fit in your bed that way. :)

Sad the weekend is over!

My parents and Ross left early this morning to head back home to Colorado. I hate saying good-byes and only getting to see them every couple months! I wish we could see them more often...but we sure had a great visit while they were here. My dad came into town last Thursday and we spent the weekend shopping, doing yard work and eating lots of yummy food....oh and being entertained by the new monkey in our house :) Cole never fails to entertain and his new trick is to climb on everything. It's a good thing he didn't figure out how to do this a few months ago when we'd have the fire place going, but he LOVES to climb on the fireplace. This is usually how it happens.....

"Cole....no no"

"Cole, nooo...put your leg down, get down!"

All the while, he's looking at us, knowing he's doing something wrong :)

"Cole!!! Get down.....no no!!!"

Eh, what do you do?...boys will be boys and climb on everything, just as long as he doesn't crack his head on the brick. :)

He's also started to climb on the couches, these are a little harder though b/c they are a little slippery.

Yep...more climbing on the fireplace....ugh!

My mom had a few things on the agenda while she was in town. She needed to trim my hair, Cole's hair and also Ross' hair. I think this was about haircut #5 or 6 or Cole, but this time I really didn't want a lot trimmed off, just some of his bangs. I absolutely LOVE his curls and didn't want them to be cut off. My dad is probably horrified with how long his hair is and that it's hanging over his ears, but I just wanted to keep his curls a bit longer. So he basically got a bang trim :)

It's always a challenge to keep a 15 month old still, especially while trimming near the eyes, so my mom always jokes that we should give him a piece of licorice because when she was little, that's what she gave her poodle to chew on when she would give her haircuts, ha! We didn't have any, so we gave him a biter biscuit and I should have known that it was going to be a complete mess, but oh well.

Yummy, see the nasty biscuit on his belly, dripping down??

Looking good! :)

My mom and dad really had a fun time playing with Cole. My dad especially couldn't believe how big he had gotten. They got a big kick out of all the new things he's doing. Oh gosh, I was so excited because he did a few new tricks this week while they were there and we are so excited for them!!! I think it was Wednesday morning, Cole blew me a kiss....ahhhh, way to warm a momma's heart!!! Then, one time the dogs started barking and he put his finger up to his mouth and said "shhhhh". I have no idea where he got that from, but it is hysterical! He kept doing it the rest of the weekend. Plus, he started climbing much better, so luckily my family got to experience all these new things he's doing.

Here is my dad giving Cole his bedtime bottle

Uncle Ross:

Ross has always been so good with Cole, even when he was itty bitty, but this week for sure, Cole got super attached to Ross! It is so cute because Ross would be trying to work out to his P90X and Cole kept going up to him with his arms in the air wanting Ross to hold him. So cute! Then, whenever I wouldn't give him what he wanted, he would run to Uncle Ross and want Ross to hold him. PLUS...Cole LOVED playing with his computer.

Ross put this bandana on Cole and we all thought it was pretty funny...cool dude!

And Cole having some sweet Uncle time at the end of the night....although, Ross did refuse to do any diaper changes. What's THAT about!?! :)

We sure had a great time, and I appreciate all the help with yard work, cleaning, cooking...we will miss you guys!!!

Babysitting, family and Jovi

Friday night, Nick and I babysat Lexie while Casey went to a Women's retreat. Cole always loves playing with Lexie, even though she is 3.5. Lexie and Cole did manage to pull out ALL the toys from the toy chest. It was just so fun watching Cole follow Lexie around and giggle at everything she did. However, knowing my mom and brother were coming into town early the next morning, I didn't get a lot of cleaning done with the kiddos playing...probably b/c Lexie kept wanting me to get in the big school bus with them and they both thought that was the funniest thing. :) Sweet kids :)

Saturday morning Ross and my mom flew into town and will be here for over a week. It sure is nice having them around, and I think they are having fun watching Cole while I'm at school. Saturday night we wanted to try out a new sushi restaurant in Frisco Square. After dinner we let Cole play around the fountain and just run around to burn some energy.

He found a couple girlfriends along the way.....twins! :) ha!

Uncle Ross and Grammy walking around with Cole...it was pretty windy if you can't tell by Cole's crazy hair!

Getting ready to jump in

Starting to wonder about this gravel stuff....can I put it in my mouth???

Ahhhh...more sand and gravel! Yeah, typical boy....

Mom and Cole....he was not as excited as I was obviously :)

Sunday night was our Bon Jovi concert! We had been looking forward to this for a long time and were so excited! Tracy outdid herself with the seats she got us too! When the 4 of us got to our seats, we couldn't believe how close we were. This picture below shows about how close we were.

Picture of Jon from the screen...nice close-up!

Jon singing "Bed of Roses"....my fav!!!

Jon and Richie finishing up the concert with "Wanted Dead or Alive"

The bad at the end of the concert...sorry for the random hand at the bottom of the picture :)

Looking forward to my dad getting here on Thursday, he'll be so excited to see Cole! It really has been great having the family here, my mom goes crazy with all her cooking and cleaning. Came home to a spotless fridge yesterday and laundry done. She's probably horrified with the condition of our house..ha! My brother Ross is going to go to school with me for a little while one day, he wants to see my school and probably just get out of the house for awhile. Unfortunately (well, not for me) my classes are super good this semester and are so quiet, so Ross might be a little bit bored. Oh well, maybe he'll learn a few things in Access as that's what I'm teaching right now.

Yes, I think we are groupies!!

To say that I am a Bon Jovi groupie...I guess wouldn't be a complete lie. To be honest though, the very first time we went to his concert in Vegas for Emily's 21st birthday, I truly got Bon Jovi and the singer from Goo Goo Dolls mixed up. Bad I know! After that awesome concert in Vegas, which is truly our favorite concert to date, got me hooked. I'm not really sure what it was, I'm not into the tight leather pants or showing off the chest, so I truly don't know what it is that makes me like him. Maybe because he has such classic songs and his concerts are really easy to get into, who knows.

This face also isn't bad to look at...haha!

This Bon Jovi....don't like so much, this face...not as cute as.....

This face...he's definitely gotten cuter with age. :)

Nick and I are going to the concert this coming Sunday with Blake and Emily and are pretty excited because we haven't been to a concert in 2 years. I know, 2 years is nothing, but this is coming from the people who have traveled all over to see him. Vegas twice, Milwaukee, Minnesota and here in Dallas.

We are anxious and really looking forward to Sunday...well, at least Emily and I are super excited, not so sure about Nick and Blake :)

I will be sure to post pictures after the concert!

I'm also super excited...my mom and brother Ross are coming down to stay with us for a little over a week! They come down on Saturday and will stay through the following weekend. My dad will come down for that last weekend. My mom and Ross are going to share babysitting duties and watch Cole during the week while I'm at school. I just hope they don't get bored. :)

Easter

What a weekend...so much packed into 4 days and we are pooped!! Nick's Uncle Don, Aunt Mary and their two kids came down from Wisconsin to spend Easter weekend with us. It all started on Thursday night, we were all meeting up for Mexican food since the Cuskey's don't get to experience the goodness of Tex-Mex!! When I went to pick up Cole from the sitter on Thursday, they informed me that he had not taken his afternoon nap. Speaking of that....Cole is sort of in between the 1 and 2 naps a day. 2 is a little too much and 1 is not enough. I told Theresa (our sitter) that when she has that figured out to let me know...ha! So, as soon as I got Cole in the car, he fell asleep and when I got home, I just decided to put him in the stroller and take a walk so he could continue to sleep before meeting everyone for dinner. He was still sleeping when we got home and I had to get ready, so I'm sure I did what every mom would do....roll that stroller in the house and let him sleep. :)
We finally made it to dinner and had a great time. Funny story...as Uncle Don walked into the restaurant, he announced that "It's my birthday!". Ok, it really wasn't, but you have to know Uncle Don to know that he always does stuff like this. So what happens??? The server brought him a birthday sopapilla and sang Happy Birthday to him.

Auntie Em and Cole at dinner

Friday morning, I met my friend Teri and her little girl Kayla and we went to Canton. It's basically the biggest flea market I have ever seen and obviously great shopping. We packed up the kiddos and had a good time. Luckily we left there right as the rain storm came in! At one point Teri and I were running to shelter...good thing we both have our BOB strollers!!

Here is Kayla and Cole gearing up for the shopping!

After Teri and I got back to Dallas, Nick's family was at the Galleria so I met up with them for a little bit. Cole got to watch the ice skaters and we walked around the mall for awhile.

Here is a picture of Cole rocking with Scout and reading his book

Saturday everyone went to Top Golf and hit some golf balls and then everyone came to our house for burgers and brats.

Here is a picture of Aunt Mimi giving Cole his bedtime bottle

EASTER!!!!!!

Easter morning everyone went to church and then to the Gaylord Texan for a wonderful brunch. This brunch is seriously the greatest thing ever! It's an all-you-can-eat buffet but is seriously the best food!! They also had a little Easter egg hunt set up for the kids and places to take pictures.

Here is Cole playing with his Easter eggs he found.

Ahhhh...Cole with his Easter bunny ears

And Dad with his Easter bunny ears......

Yes, and me with my Easter bunny ears

Here is the whole Seeman clan on Easter Sunday

Our cute family of 3.....too bad Cole was super tired and NOT wanting to take pictures at this point!

And me and my cute hubby, he's the best!

Granddad and Gramma....I mean, the Easter bunny got Cole some fun treats in his Easter basket and one of the toys were those crayons that you can use in the bathtub. Cole LOVED playing with them but boy was it messy!!! This probably isn't something we'll use every bath time as it was pretty messy to clean up, but it was so fun to watch him write all over the white tub and tile!

Look!!! Cole already knows how to write his name, I think we have a genius on our hands..ha!

The only bad thing about Easter break being over, is that we go 8 straight weeks of school with no breaks. I know....those of you in the corporate world who don't really get breaks are probably rolling your eyes right now, but 8 straight weeks of high school kids get to be LONG sometimes!! I love my job, but they still get annoying. :)
We do have a few things to look forward to.....Bon Jovi concert next weekend and then my parents and brother Ross are going to come for long visit. I cannot wait to see them and spend time with them. I sure miss my family on holidays, but I know we will see them soon.
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday!!!